In the smoldering aftermath of the Secret Saviors' rebellion, the Philippines stood uneasy. Elijah Vega watched Baler from the roof of the new signal tower—a skeletal metal framework topped with a rotating dish, salvaged from one of Raines' fallen airships. Its presence alone was a symbol of something strange and new: the future bleeding into the past.
But that future was no longer content to wait.
Signals in the Dark
Adrian burst into Elijah's workshop, his face pale and slick with sweat. "It's back. The core—we've reactivated it. But it's broadcasting. Not just data—signals. Outward."
Elijah's blood went cold. "To where?"
"We don't know. But someone—or something—is listening."
Isa entered moments later, already armed. "You think Raines wasn't alone?"
Adrian nodded. "It wasn't just his own technology he used. The encryption signatures—some of them are newer than anything I've seen. Even in your time, Elijah."
They gathered in the underground lab, the flickering lights casting long shadows over humming consoles. On one screen, a circular map displayed dozens of blinking red points. On another, a waveform pulsed erratically.
"It started transmitting three days ago," Adrian explained. "Every night, the signal grows stronger. It's not just broadcasting. It's activating something."
The Foundry in the Mountains
Weeks earlier, a scout team investigating wreckage in the Sierra Madre mountains had gone missing. The only survivor—a boy named Tobias—was brought to Baler. His story was fragmented, haunted.
"They rose," he whispered, wrapped in a blanket. "From the mountain. Iron men. No eyes. No mouths. They walked without sound. They didn't bleed."
Isa questioned him gently. "Was it like the machines at Baler?"
The boy shook his head. "Worse. Smarter. Like they were... waiting."
Elijah turned to Adrian. "Can they replicate? Build themselves?"
Adrian's answer was grim. "If any of Raines' forward manufacturing cores survived and received this activation signal... yes. They could be waking up. Evolving."
The Enemy in the Mirror
That night, Elijah sat alone with one of the old data slates recovered from Raines' headquarters. With Adrian's help, he had translated fragments.
The name appeared again and again:
VIREK.
And beneath it, a project designation:
'Neural Singularity Initiative—Echo Lineage: Vega.'
He stared at the screen. His own surname.
"I think they were tracking me," he whispered. "This goes deeper than just conquering a country. I was part of something bigger. Maybe even a trigger."
Isa entered behind him. "You think someone sent you here for a reason?"
"I don't know. But whatever's coming—it's not just a remnant of Raines. It's a continuation. Maybe even an escalation."
The Awakening
Atop a ridge overlooking the jungle, miles from civilization, a metallic figure stirred. Its body was humanoid but wrong—too thin, its limbs too long, its face a blank glass pane. Around it, dozens of identical shapes emerged from the soil like insects from cocoons.
One lifted its arm, projecting a holographic display in the air. The face of a woman appeared—half-machine, her eyes glowing with an eerie violet light.
VIREK ONLINE. PHASE THREE: RECLAMATION.
The machines turned toward the setting sun. Toward Baler.
Toward Elijah Vega.
The revolution had survived betrayal. It had survived foreign invasion. But what came next was not a battle of nations—it was a battle for time itself.